This Monday night, check out ESPN for Monday Night Football, when Andrew Luck and the Colts travel to East Rutherford to take on the New York Football Giants. Indy comes in at 5-3 overall and in first place in the AFC South division. New York is a disappointing 3-4 overall and in 3rd place in the NFC East behind the Cowboys and Eagles. Crazy ting is, we have seen Giant teams like this get hot and make Super Bowl runs, so do not ever count these guys out. This should be a very competitive game and I like this one to still be undecided well into the 4th quarter.

The Colts come into this game as a 3.5 point road favorite over the Giants. Against the spread this season, Indy has gone 6-2, while the Giants are 3-4, just like their actual overall record. The total points are set at 52, which tells me the bookmakers are looking for a 27-24 type finish in this one.

Indianapolis has played well this season, and is primed to be a legit contender in the AFC Playoffs. After starting the season 0-2, they have gone on to win 5 of their last 6 games. The one loss in that stretch however, was just this past Sunday when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 51-34. The Steelers were firing on all cylinders, and I do not think any team in the NFL was going to beat them that day…it was just one of those games. The Colts through eight games are still boasting the NFLs top passing offense. So far, Andrew Luck has already thrown for over 2,700 yards and 22 touchdowns. This kid is nasty, and he is slowly making a case as one of the best in all of the NFL. The rest of the Colts team is pretty good too. They rank in the top 15 in rushing yards, and the defense has done well too. The Colts run defense is ranked 9th in the NFL, allowing just 99 yards a game, while the pass defense does a decent job holding opponents to just over 250 per game. The key to this game for Indy is very easy. Score. If the Colts can come into MetLife Stadium and put up 31-35 points, I like their chances of not only winning, but covering the spread too.

I am always so scared when I have to make a pick in a game involving the New York Giants. It is an absolute coin flip every time. New York has been one of the most bi-polar teams I have seen in the last 5-7 years. Eli Manning is capable of throwing 5 TDs in a game, or 3 INTs in a half… you seriously never know. So far this season, they have not been impressive. I will say though, they have started much better than they did last season. At 3-4, they could still make a run for a wildcard berth. From a statistics standpoint, the Giants are simply not very good. They rank 24th in passing offense and 15th in rushing offense. On the defensive side, they are not much better, actually, they are worse. New York has the 25th worst passing defense in the NFL, and the 22nd worst run defense. I really do not know how New York will be able to slow down Andrew Luck and the Colts offense, but if they want to get back to .500 and eventually back in the NFC playoff picture, they better find a way to stop someone.

Bob’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Like I said earlier, it is so hard to pick games involving the Giants. Everything I read, every stat I find, tells me to take the Colts. For some reason, some crazy reason, I think the Giants come to play on Monday night. Will they win? I do not know, but I think they make this an interesting game. I am going strictly on my gut and fading the public here. PICK THE NEW YORK GIANTS +3.5